AFTER last weekend’s drubbing by UCC Demons, Neptune will set about putting the pieces back together this weekend with a new coach and two new American players, although they will not be certain until later today if former Gleneagle Lakers star Dajan Smith will be available for tomorrow night’s Nivea for Men SuperLeague clash with DART Killester.

It is a big weekend for Merry Monk Ballina, who play two home games as week two of the Nivea for Men SuperLeague gets underway.

THEY have the National Cup safely stashed away in Tralee, have topped the Southern Conference, and will be raging hot favourites to retain the NIVEA for Men SuperLeague when they put the title on the line at the Mardyke Arena in Cork this weekend.

THE basketballers of Gleneagle Killarney contest a national cup semi-final this weekend for the first time since 1996, but nostalgia addicts must go back to the Eighties for the glory days of basketball in the Kingdom.

AFTER the excitement of the senior men’s cup last weekend some clubs will be searching through the debris over the coming days to see if they can salvage anything.

TRALEE’s Horan Healthfood Tigers preserved their 100% Superleague record in dramatic and controversial circumstances at the weekend.

Sx3 STAR reinforced their ESBSuperLeague aspirations with their 96-106 victory over Notre Dame on Wednesday night with just three games remaining in the competition, but coach Danny Fulton insisted yesterday that the business was not finished.

Notre Dame's 96-106 defeat to Star of the Sea on Wednesday night rules them out of the title chase, with only two teams now vying for the Superleague trophy.

THE spotlight will be on the SuperLeague table toppers Notre Dame and Sx3 Star when the semi-finals of the ESB National Cup get under way at the ESB Arena this afternoon.

ESB Superleague action resumes this weekend following a brief hiatus which saw Notre Dame pick up the only league points of the last week.

The ESB Superleague returns this weekend, following the elation of Cup success for four men's teams and the sheer disappointment for four others.

UCC DEMONS won’t be taking any chances with Tolka Rovers at the Mardyke Arena on Sunday afternoon (3.15pm) while Waterford Crystal will be hoping to salvage their season when they play host to the raging hot favourites, Sx3 Star, at the WIT tonight (7.30pm) as the remaining hopefuls in the ESB national cup battle it out.

Another victory for Neptune last weekend earned them a striking lead on the League table and with a home game against an off-form Limerick this weekend, they are likely to remain unbeaten for another week.

WHENEVER Neptune and Demons meet in a Cork derby fireworks are assured and tonight will be no exception when they clash at Neptune Stadium (8 p.m.).

The effects of Christmas were evident on the St Vincent’s side when they ended up on the wrong side of the 88-92 scoreline in the weekend’s Dublin derby game.

The ESB Men’s Superleague resumes action this weekend and it’s still pretty tight at the top in one of the closest-fought campaigns of recent seasons.

There are eight games in this weekend's ESB's Men's Superleague and seven games in the ESB Women's Superleague.